TechTips - How to Get Free Video Training on Adobe Flex3

I just recently got involved in deploying a Streaming Media Interactive Server and am now very interested in all things that go along with Flash, streaming media and development of flash software and videos. Well there is a lot of great free training at Adobe's website for Adobe Flex 3, Flex is an open source framework for building web applications and Flex 3 is a tool to help accelerate development in the Flex framework. Adobe offers some great free training videos on Flex here.

Before you start the training you will want to download and install the trial version of Flex Builder 3, it is offered at the top of the page where the training videos are located or just click this link Trial Flex Builder 3.

Once you have downloaded and installed the program then you will want to decide if you want to view the training videos online, or if you want to install the adobe media player on your machine and use the RSS feed to play the videos. If you want to view the content online then just click each of the training videos on the page and watch them in your browser.

If you decide to watch the videos on your desktop you will have to install the Adobe media player and Adobe Air (link is in following instructions). Here are the instructions for installing Adobe Media Player and viewing the content via the RSS feed:

Want to view Flex in a Week videos in offline mode? Follow these steps:
1. Install Adobe Media Player.
2. Click the My Favorites menu at the top.
3. Click Add RSS Feed at the bottom.
4. Copy and paste this URL: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/videotraining/feed.xml

Now you are ready to go.

So either way you view the content it doesn't matter, you are going to be watching the save videos for the training. I prefer the offline method using the Adobe Media Player; I think my computer plays the videos better through the player then through my browser. Now all you have to do is follow along with all of the videos. They are broken out into a week long course for you, of course you can take as long as you want, and there is no limit to the amount of times you can play the videos.

I was impressed with the videos; they are well designed and very easy to follow along with. They are loaded with information about Flex and how you can use it to create some really great content for your sites. I wouldn't say you will be an expert after viewing these videos, but they are a great starting point for anyone who wants to get into developing flash content.

The course is designed to last a week and it covers all sorts of topics and some of the videos are pretty long, upwards of 30 minutes. Some of the training videos require additional software or files, but don't worry when you click on the links they will take you to the locations where you can download the content and instructions on how to use it. These video tutorials are very well prepared and guide you along quite nicely.

I was very impressed at the content of the videos and how well structured the entire training course was, and best of all it was free! I have taken training courses that cost hundreds of dollars that weren't as informative or as well designed as this one was, Adobe is doing a great job, I would love to see what some of their paid training courses are like.

Adobe not only offers these free training videos on Flex 3 but they also give you a free copy of the O'Reilly book "Getting Started with Flex 3". I didn't care for the book much but if you want to know more about Flex 3 and how it works it's has some good material. I would prefer the hands on activities of the training videos.

Also to go along with the free training there is a forum dedicated to the training material where you can go and share your experiences with others. You can also seek help or guidance with the other users who are going through or have gone through the same Flex training. I am amazed that all of this content is offered completely free from Adobe.com, take advantage while you can!

Sources

Flex Video Training "http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/videotraining/" Adobe